Another private industry partner is setting up shop at Cheyney University. School officials announced today that ASI Chemicals, a start-up company that manufactures chemicals for pharmaceutical products, is launching operations in the Science Center.
“This is the next step in our plan to attract businesses that can provide valuable learning opportunities to our students through internships and generate revenue for the university by utilizing space in our state-of-the-art Science Center,” said Cheyney University President Aaron A. Walton. “This chemistry-based company also expands the variety of science disciplines to which our students will be exposed.”
ASI’s president, Rich Tyburski, said he knew the Science Center was a good fit at first sight.
“When we visited, we saw it was a beautiful campus with a top-notch facility, and the chance to work with students is something we think is just great for us,” he said. “Before I was hired into my first job, I started as an intern right before my junior year at Villanova University, and then that company hired me as an entry-level scientist. I was able to work my way up from there. Getting that real-world experience helped me tremendously. We’re looking to create that pathway for Cheyney students now.”
Mosaic Development Partners—along with the Chester County Economic Development Council—has been helping Cheyney attract corporate partners to locate on campus. Mosaic Partner Leslie Smallwood-Lewis said the Science Center practically sells itself.
“When we bring scientists in, they are impressed by the quality of the fully equipped labs,” Smallwood-Lewis said. “The building has extra capacity so why not let some of those labs become hands-on training rooms for students and also produce income for the university?”
The two principals of ASI, both formerly with IsoSciences, are synthetic organic chemists. Their previous employer has grown into a global giant in the industry. Tyburski said he and his partners wanted to get back to a small company environment.
“We wanted to be part of a new innovative company, where we can focus on the science. For us it was about getting back to that small company feel and doing what we do best,” he said.
ASI will be looking for students seeking a science degree to intern with them but there is also potential for students on a business or marketing track.
“We’re eager to meet with the students, see what they’re excited to do, and determine how we can work with them,” Tyburski said. “At small companies, sometimes you just have to find an individual who’s passionate about something and let them run with it. That’s where you can really see some huge growth.”
ASI’s arrival follows a similar move last month by Navrogen, a research and development biology-based company. The university is in talks with other potential corporate partners about moving their operations to the 275-acre campus, which is on the Delaware County-Chester County line.
“We began with the Science Center because no renovations or retrofits were needed in that building,” President Walton said. “We started to create momentum there and now we’ve begun to focus on other buildings that need to be remodeled to make them appropriate for other uses. Our plan to transform the campus is right on course.”